Juve beat Inter to take Serie A control
Serie A leaders Juventus beat title challengers Inter Milan 2-0 this morning (Australian time) to open up a five-point lead at the https://www.goldengooseshoesit.com/ top of the table and deal Inter a heavy psychological blow.
First-half goals from David Trezeguet and Pavel Nedved secured victory for the champions in the first major clash between title contenders this season, making it six wins out of six for Fabio Capello's side.
AC Milan are in second place on 13 points after two first-half goals from captain Paolo Maldini earned them a 2-1 victory over Reggina.
Fiorentina are level on points with Milan after a 3-2 home victory against fellow Tuscans Livorno, who scored both their goals in the final four minutes.
AS Roma suffered their second home defeat of the campaign with a 3-2 loss to 10-man Siena.
To add to the pain of defeat, all the goals from the visitors, including Francesco Colonnese's 90th-minute winner, came from former players of capital rivals Lazio.
Capello's Juve swept aside Inter with a dominating first-half display which began Golden Goose with a 22nd-minute opener from French forward Trezeguet.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic's well driven free-kick was parried out by Inter keeper Julio Cesar but Trezeguet responded sharply to head in the loose ball.
Twelve minutes later, it was 2-0 when Czech midfielder Nedved beat Cesar with a curling shot over the top of a poorly assembled defensive wall.
Ibrahimovic had to be replaced just before the break after falling victim to a crude, two-footed challenge from Inter defender Marco Materazzi.
The Inter defender escaped with just a yellow card but, despite remaining with 11 men, Inter were unable to penetrate an imposing Juve defence as the champions kept the game under control in the second half.
Inter slip to fifth place, six points behind Juve and trailing their city rivals Milan who looked closer to their best form against Reggina after 37-year old Maldini silenced those who had wondered if he had run out of steam.
Maldini, who last week set a record for Serie A appearances, had managed just 27 goals in 20 seasons and had never previously scored twice in a game.
The defender opened the scoring in the fifth minute with a well-taken solo goal. He burst into the area from the left and 'nutmegged' a Reggina defender before driving a shot with his less favoured right foot into the far bottom corner of the net.
If that was an unusually confidently taken goal for a defender, Maldini's second, 15 minutes later, arrived in more typical fashion - a thumping header from a Rui Costa corner.
Milan dominated and Christian Vieri, yet to open his account for the club following his close-season move from Inter, was unable to convert several chances.
-Reuters
